Saturday, 30 March 2013

Yesterday the kids and I spent the afternoon in the city. For us small town country folk, the fast paced city is all very new and unfamiliar. Apart from me getting lost looking for a Mc Donalds, the kids did 10 little things that taught me so very much about them both.

1As we went past the MCG and 'Tigerland', without any hesitation or thought, the kids just belted out the Richmond theme song. It has sort of become a tradition for our family to do that on our way home from Dad's (Pop's) regardless of how many people are in the train carriage or few.2Nevaeh responds better to 'You must obey Mummy' or 'You must listen to Mummy' then counting down for a switch or demanding for her to do something.3Jiedyn likes attention. I have always known this within our home but today validated it all the more when he loved people's reactions to his hoodie.4Nevaeh greets strangers way too much. Living is a small town this is not a very big deal, but in the city - scary.5My kids do not judge. Today we saw many people. People with missing teeth, people with disabilities, a man with piercings, three girls extremely dressed up, men in suits, girls completely tattooed, ladies in saris etc. Yes, the kids stared, took a second look and asked why but overall they accepted the diverse culture on Melbourne. Instead of finding it strange they thought it was 'cool'.6Jie pointed out a line of Taxi's at a taxi rank. Amazed he couldn't wait to show me. Here in our town there is only ever one or two taxi's around the area at one time. The taxi wait here in Bacchus Marsh ranges anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour and a half so you can understand why my son was gob smacked at a whole lot of taxi's.7The kids are way too trusting. Seeing a piece of plastic on the ground Nevaeh picks it up. I tell her it's yuck and to throw it away. Around 10 minutes later Jie picks up a lolly wrapper. I ask what he's doing and he tells me that he saw a bin up ahead and that he had intentions of throwing it out. It became a good lesson in the difference between the city and home.8Here in our home we do most things as a family. We walk together as a family, we eat together, sing together, dance together, read together and we're always together. Today in the city I noticed both of my kids looking for opportunities to become individuals. Jie walked ahead and had to be reminded to walk with us. Nevaeh ran off to chase a few birds by herself. It was a rare look at them both.9Nevaeh is watching. Everything Jie said and did today Nevaeh either had to copy him or go one further. If Jie skipped, she skipped. If Jie jumped, Nevaeh jumped. If Jie fell asleep on the bus with his neck in an awkward position, Nevaeh would have a go too. She really does look up to her big brother these days.10Nevaeh knows where she lives. As the bus drove towards the main street today Nevaeh knew where she was. "We're home Mama" she said as she looked at her familiar town through the bus window. She was right. This is home.

Not only did I learn a lot about my children, I learnt a whole heap about how much I have changed in my 7 years as a mother. The city never used to make me nervous or frightened before I had children. Living on the streets as a teen I never felt scared, it used to feel safe and familiar. Now it's not something I could do every day. Today was nice hanging out with my children but it made me see how blessed we have it in a community of familiar faces where my kids can run ahead of me and I not need to worry. I am settled. The city is far from familiar now.

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Check out my fridge! Last week after shopping my fridge was full of all kinds of nasties. This week, it's greener. I mean, possibly the greenest its ever been!

After finding out April last year that I had PCOS {See this post} I made it my mission to start losing weight. Without losing weight I'd increase my chances of developing:

Insulin resistance and diabetes
If your blood glucose does not stay normal, this can lead to diabetes. One or two
in every ten (10–20%) women with PCOS go on to develop diabetes at some
time. Untreated, this causes damage to organs in the body.
If you have PCOS, your risk of developing diabetes is increased further if you:
● are over 40 years of age
● have relatives with diabetes
● developed diabetes during a pregnancy (known as gestational diabetes)
● are obese (body mass index or BMI over 30).
If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you will be given dietary advice and may be
prescribed tablets or insulin injections.

High blood pressure
Women with PCOS tend to have high blood pressure, which is likely to be related
to insulin resistance and to being overweight, rather than the PCOS itself. High
blood pressure can lead to heart problems and should be treated.

Heart disease in later life
Developing heart disease is linked to health conditions such as diabetes and high
blood pressure. If you do not have these conditions, there is no clear evidence
that, just because you have PCOS, you are more likely to die from heart disease
than women who do not have PCOS.
If you have a high cholesterol level you may be advised to take medication (statins)
to reduce the risk of heart problems. If you are trying for a baby, you should seek
specialist advice about the use of statins.

Cancer
With fewer periods (less than three a year), the endometrium (lining of the womb)
can thicken and this may lead to endometrial cancer in a small number of women.
There are different ways to protect the lining of the womb using the hormone
progestogen. Your doctor will discuss the options with you. This may include a
five-day course of progestogen tablets used every three or four months, taking a
contraceptive pill or using the intrauterine contraceptive system (Mirena®). The
options will depend on whether you are trying for a baby.
PCOS does not increase your chance of breast, cervical or ovarian cancer.

Depression and mood swings
The symptoms of PCOS may affect how you see yourself and how you think
others see you. It can lower your self-esteem.

Snoring and daytime drowsiness
PCOS can lead to fatigue or sleepiness during the day. It is also associated with
snoring.

Some of these things have really scared me enough to want and need change. But in almost a year I have only lost 6 kilos. While it excites me that I am in fact losing, it scares me at the same time because I don't feel fit nor healthier.

A friend showed me {this video} yesterday and I researched myself how thousands of people are losing weight with the keto diet. I was completely WOWed and researched it more and the more I read, the more excited I was getting. I was further encouraged when a man replied to my tweet telling me how he had lost 19lbs (8kgs) in just one week! Completely blew me away!!

So here is my Keto diet plan:

For a better look, just click the picture.

I am both excited and nervous about starting this journey. I will be using mainly twitter and my blog to keep everyone updated regularly so if your not already following my tweets please fly this way..